


promises, promises

by miss_tatiana



Category: Redwall Series - Brian Jacques
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Nightmares, set during the kids' captivity in the kingdom of malkariss, takes place during mattimeo, there is some discussion of death but not enough for a warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-06-27 00:26:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15674328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_tatiana/pseuds/miss_tatiana
Summary: After enduring almost too much at the hands of the Blackrobe rats in the Kingdom of Malkariss, Mattimeo has an upsetting dream. He addresses what happened in it as best he can with the help of Tess.





	promises, promises

**Author's Note:**

> for redwall fic month week two- nightmares !

Mattimeo’s father was dead. Trapped in some cave in god knows where, along with all of his hero friends. Matt had friends once, too. Sam and Tim and Tess and even Cynthia he’d considered a friend, and he’d tried to protect her just like he’d tried to protect the others. Tried and failed. Malkariss’s rule was harsh, and the sheer amount of work was almost worse than what happened if they refused it. 

They had all been scared and frantic when they first were put down to work, to join the legions of slaves kept by Malkariss. They’d tried to talk, tried to plan, and been whipped for it. Eventually, they had to comply, and they cut and moved stones like the rest of the slaves. The work was hard, especially as young as they were. Long days carving blocks away from the walls of the less developed caverns, scraping with tools and even with their paws until their fur was torn, and then long nights hauling those stones back to where the building was supposed to occur. Their backs were bent by the weight of the stones, their paws were worn raw from carrying them. 

Cynthia was the first to die. She’d never been cut out for work, but she was too cowardly to refuse, fearing the whippings it took the others weeks to learn to stay away from. She worked dutifully, and she was dead within two weeks. She was too young and too fragile for that kind of work, and she dropped out of exhaustion while carving stone. There wasn’t even time for some kind of funeral. 

Then it was Tim, because he was too defiant and wouldn’t listen to evil orders even when it was dangerous not to. He’d been whipped to death in front of everyone, and Matt could still hear Sam crying, could still feel Tess’ grip on his shirt as she tried not to watch. Again, they’d tried to say words, and had been herded away back to the mines. 

Then Sam, and half of Matt’s heart broke. Then Tess, and the other half broke. And more than just broken, he was alone. It was one thing to be broken and to have people to fix you. It was another to be as alone as he was in the kingdom of Malkariss. 

Day after tiring day passed, and there was no break from the work, and no end to the torment. He was alone in the dark halls and mines, and no one was coming for him. No one was coming. 

Matt woke up with tears in his eyes, gasping for breath. He looked around the cavern that had been allotted for sleeping, and saw the hundreds of sleeping slaves lying around him. Including his friends. It had been a dream. It had all just been a dream. He shook Tess’s shoulders until she started to stir. 

Blinking sleepily, Tess pushed herself halfway up into a sitting position. “Matti? What’s going on?” she whispered. 

Matt threw his arms around her and pulled her into a big hug. “Tess, we’re going to get out of here alive. I’m not going to lose you. Ever.”

“I- I know,” Tess said, unsurety decorating her words. “Mattimeo, is something wrong?”

“Just a dumb dream.” Matt wiped his eyes. “When my dad comes and rescues us, we need to be ready, okay?” He launched into a description of his plan to start a riot, and to help Matthias in whatever way they could when he arrived. 

Tess was smiling, and for a moment all the dirt on her fur and the new wounds that would surely scar faded away, and she was just the same as during the feast, before any of this happened. “Sometimes, I really believe we’re going to get out of this,” she said gently. 

“We are.” Matt’s voice was firm and sure. “Wake the others.” He turned to give Sam a shake as Tess roused her brother and Cynthia. When everyone was up and blearily asking what was happening, he spoke again. “I know we’ve lost a lot, and I know right now things seem hopeless.”

Cynthia nodded, opened her mouth to speak.

“But they’re not,” Matt said quickly. “There’s always hope, no matter what happens, and we’re going to get out of here sooner or later. It’s inevitable. We’ll do the work they want us to do but we’ll be waiting in the wings for the moment when we take them down and escape. And no matter how bad it gets, we’re not in hell yet.” He looked around at them all. “Because we’ve got each other.” 

Tim nodded firmly, and put a hand on Sam’s shoulder. Cynthia looked like she was going to start crying. 

“I need you guys to promise me we’re all getting out of this alive,” Matt said, and he sounded desperate. 

“I promise,” Sam said. Of course he was the first to speak. His trust in Matt never wavered. 

“I promise,” echoed Tim. He nudged Cynthia. 

“Of course I promise,” she said, as a tear crept down her cheek and got lost in her fur. 

Matt looked to Tess, and if he had to see her down here in a cave when she should be out in the sun for another second, his heart was going to break. 

Tess gave him a smile. “I promise, Matti.” 

Mattimeo nodded, and tried not to cry in front of them, and he pulled them all into a group hug. “I’m not going to lose you guys,” he swore. “I’ll get us all out if it’s the last thing I do. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I promise.”

With all promises having been exchanged, they returned to the little sleep they were allowed. Only this time, they were all a little closer. Cynthia was snuggled between Tim and Sam. Tess was holding her brother’s paw with one of her’s, and with her other she held Matt’s. There was a renewed camaraderie between them, because no matter how bad things got, they were going to make it out. Together.


End file.
